User blog:SPARTAN 119/Hans von Zettour (Youjo Senki) VS Irving Morrel (Timeline 191)
Hans von Zettour, the general of who led an alternate Germany to victory in the First World War through innovative tactics VS Irving Morrel, the alternate American barrel commander whose led the US to victory in the Second Great War against the Confederacy. WHO IS DEADLIEST!? =Combatants= Hans von Zettour Hans von Zettour is a brigadier general for the army of the Empire, an analogue to Imperial Germany in an alternate reality version of the First World War, where the supernatural exists and has been weaponized, with flying mages fighting alongside infantry, artillery, armor, and aircraft. As such, Zettour appears to be an analogue of real-world German General Hans von Seeckt. This is the world where a Japanese salaryman is revived as Tanya von Degurechaff by a vengeful god. Zettour becomes Degurechaff’s early supporters after he sees the brilliance of her thesis, which along with her magic power level, got her into the Imperial Officer Corps at only ten years old. When Tanya proposes the creation of a battalion of elite mages for punching through the enemy lines and attacking the rear, Zettour enthusiastically supports this measure. Degurechaff’s battalion is highly successful, annihilating the forces of the small country of Dakia, putting down a revolt in Imperial-held territory in the Francois Republic (guess who they are supposed to be an analogue of!), and destroying Allied forces in Norden (Norway). Zettour and Degurechaff come up with a strategy to break through the Francois Republic’s front lines. The Imperial Army were ordered to retreat to a position further to the east, allowing the Republic to march into a trap. Tanya and her mage battalion used rockets similar to the real-world V-1, albeit with a multi-stage design significantly superior to the real-world model, capable of travelling at supersonic speeds. The mage battallion bailed out of the rockets as they neared the Francois Republic rear area and flew the rest of the way, while the V-1s continued and impacted a number of hardened bunkers, destroying them and allowing the mage battalion to easily destroy the enemy rear area, eliminating much of their command structure. After the attack on the rear, Imperial forces detonated a number of large mines under the Republic Army lines at Messines Ridge in a reversal of the real-world battle (where the British detonated mines under the German lines). The destruction of the lines allowed Imperial infantry and armored forces the advance through the Francois Republic lines, before flanking to the north and trapping the Republic forces between the Imperials and the sea, before surrounding and destroying them. Zettour and Degurechaff’s strategy forced the Francois Republic to surrender, though a significant number of the Republic’s army and navy retreated to their holdings in North Africa and continued the fight. Irving Morrel Irving Morrell started the First Great War as an infantry captain, serving with distinction until he received a leg wound. Even while in the hospital his mind was never idle, conceiving a helmet that would help soldiers survive on the front. After recovering, he continued to serve his country, rapidly making a name for himself as a resourceful and competent officer. He was transferred to the Canadian front after some time. While there, he displayed his talents as a field commander again, using the Canadian military's aggressiveness against them. His victory in that front saw him promoted to lieutenant colonel. Around this time, he moved from infantry to barrels. He transferred to the front again, this time under George Custer on the Tennessee front. He was one of the masterminds behind the Barrel Roll Offensive. The offensive involved a massed attack of barrels, supported by infantry. It was wildly successful, pushing the Confederate forces back miles along a front whose advances were typically measured in feet. The smashing success saw him promoted to colonel, and quickly won the war. Afterwards he transferred into the Barrel Works, the US Army's R&D Department for Barrels. While there, he tested and designed new models of barrels for the US Army, as well as getting married. The Socialist administration elected after the war ended closed down the Barrel Works, however, and he was transferred out to British Colombia to keep the conquered Canadians in line. After nine years of success, he was reinstated in the Barrel Works until General Daniel MacArthur required his services to repress riots in the state of Houston. Morrell did so, even resorting to canister shot to keep the hostile crowds at bay. After a plebiscite returned the state to the Confederacy, he was stationed in Ohio to try and stem the eventual Confederate tide. When the Confederacy attacked, Morrell was sorely undersupplied and underequipped. Regardless, he beat a fighting retreat and managed to both delay and harass the Confederacy enough to make them take notice. In consequence of said skill, the Confederates hired a sniper to kill him. When he survived the blow, the Confederate General Staff went into a mass panic. This proved justified, as Morrell and his plans were instrumental in cutting off the Confederate army assaulting Pittsburgh and throwing them back along their original salient into Ohio. This victory was a turning point in the war, and lead to them cutting the salient in two. After throwing the Confederates out of the United States, he then went on to formulate a plan to invade the Confederacy. He replicated the real world's Sherman's March to the Sea, using armor, air power, and infantry to cut the Confederacy's eastern section in half. After successfully doing so, he coordinated strikes deeper into the Confederate heartland from the General Staff in Philadelphia. He was nearly caught in a nuclear, but was outside the blast radius and survived. At the end of the war, now a full General, he was chosen to receive the Confederacy's unconditional surrender and return to the United States. Afterwards, he was appointed the military governor of the Confederacy's east coast, essentially everything he had conquered; while there, he was a leading figure in creating racial equality. =Weapons= Pistols Luger P08 (Zettour) The Pistole Parabellum 1908 or Parabellum-Pistole (Pistol Parabellum) — popularly known as the Luger — is a toggle-locked recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol. The design was patented by Georg J. Luger in 1898 and produced by German arms manufacturer Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken (DWM) starting in 1900; it was an evolution of the 1893 Hugo Borchardt designed C-93. The first Parabellum pistol was adopted by the Swiss army in May 1900. In German army service it was succeeded and partly replaced by the Walther P38 in caliber 9x19mm, seeing use in both World Wars. The Luger fired a 9mm Parabellum round from a eight round magazine, with an effective range of up to 50 meters. As you might expect from an alternate Germany, the Empire also uses the Luger. .45 Pistol (Morrel) Turtledove mentions a US .45 caliber pistol and the .45 ACP caliber Thompson, several times in his books, presumably similar, if not identical to the M1911. The M1911 is a semi-automatic pistol that fires the .45 ACP. The weapon is single-action and is recoil-operated. The famous firearms designer produced the pistol to be used as the standard sidearm for the United States military. The weapon was used through countless conflicts like World War II and the Vietnam War. Production for the weapon came through the United States' need to modernize its arsenal. It is still being used by American law-enforcement and military forces in limited amounts. The M1911 has a range of about 70 meters, firing from a seven-round magazine. 119’s Edge Morrel’s .45 Pistol for its superior stopping power and range. Rifles Mauser Gewehr 98 (Zettour) The Gewehr 98 (abbreviated G98, Gew 98 or M98) is a German bolt action Mauser rifle firing cartridges from a 5 round internal clip-loaded magazine that was the German service rifle from 1898 to 1935, when it was replaced by the Karabiner 98k. It was hence the main rifle of the German infantry during World War I. The Gewehr 98 replaced the earlier Gewehr 1888 rifle as the German service rifle. The weapon had a range of up to 500 meters, and a muzzle velocity of 878 m/s. Springfield M1903 (Morrel) The M1903 Springfield, formally the United States Rifle, Caliber .30-06, Model 1903, is an American clip-loaded, 5-shot, bolt-action service rifle used primarily during the first half of the 20th century. The weapon also had variants produced for the civilian market as a hunting rifle. The M1903 had an effective range of 600 meters. In Turtledove’s alternate timeline, the M1 Garand was never developed (as John Garand was a Canadian and the US invaded and occupied Canada in WWI), meaning that the M1903 remained the standard-issue service rifle of the US army into the Second Great War. While it was a reliable weapon, it was outclassed by the selective fire Tredegar Automatic Rifle, to the point that many US soldiers used captured Tredegars instead of Springfields. 119’s Edge The two weapons are similar enough to be called Even. Machine Guns MG-08 (Zettour) The Maschinengewehr 08, or MG 08, was the German Army's standard machine gun in World War I and is an adaptation of Hiram S. Maxim's original 1884 Maxim gun. It was produced in a number of variants during the war. The gun used 250-round fabric belts of 7.92×57mm ammunition, firing at between 500 and 600 rounds per minute It was water-cooled, using a jacket around the barrel that held approximately one gallon of water. Like most heavy machine guns of the First World War, the weapon could be fired both directly or even in indirect fire, with an effective range of 2000 meters, though in direct fire, it was often used at much shorter ranges- often less than 500 meters. US Machine Gun (Morrel) The US military uses multiple types of machine guns in Timeline 191, none of which are mentioned specifically by name. The machine gun that will appear in this match will be a Maxim-type machine gun similar to the M1917 Browning, a larger water-cooled machine gun firing from a 250-round cloth ammo belt, with a rate of fire of 600 rpm and an effective range of between 1500 and 5000 meters depending on the ammunition used. 119's Edge As the exact details of the US machine gun are unknown, it is hard to give an edge, but given that both are Maxim-style weapons, they can be assumed to be roughly even. Explosives German Stick Grenade (Zettour) The Model 24 grenade was the standard hand grenade of the German Army from 1924-1945, from shortly after World War I to the end of World War II (and also by the Empire in Youjo Senki). The grenade was activating by unscrewing a cap and pulling a cord, which lit the fuse. It was not a fragmentation grenade because it relied on the blast to kill, giving it a much smaller lethal radius. Because of its design, the stick could act as a lever which greatly improved throwing distance, up to 40 yards, where as the British grenades of the time could only be thrown up to 15 yards. American Stick Grenade (Morrel) In Turtledove’s Timeline 191, the Americans are aligned with the Germans, so they copy the German stick grenade, while the Confederates used the British “pineapple” design. The two weapons are basically the same thing as the German variant, presumably with a similar explosive charge and throwing range. 119’s Edge The two weapons are the same thing, Even. Heavy Weapons Wechselaparat/Wex (Zettour) The Wechsellapparat, or “Wex” was an early flamethrower design employed by the Germans in the First World War. The weapon consisted of a round, "donut-shaped" fuel tank with a propellant canister in the middle. The weapon could be carried by one man, wearing the fuel tank on his back, and could project a stream of burning fuel up to about 20 meters, proving terrifyingly lethal in close-range trench assaults, however, it required the user to wear a tank of highly flammable fuel, which could ignite and explode if hit. Captured “Stovepipe” Rocket (Morrel) The Stovepipe was a Confederate-made "anti-barrel" (barrel- alternate name for tanks) rocket introduced in 1942. The weapon had a range of a few hundred yards, and fired a shaped charge warhead. For the purposes of this match, it will fire the same 2.36 inch rocket as the real-life M9A1 Bazooka. 119’s Edge Morrel’s Stovepipe for its superior range and firepower. Armored Support Panzer III (Zettour) While mostly based on World War I, for some reason, the Empire in Youjo Senki have access to a bunch of Panzer IIIs. The Panzer III was the common name of a medium tank that was developed in the 1930s by Germany and was used extensively in World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen III Sd Kfz. 141 (abbreviated PzKpfw III) translating as "armoured fighting vehicle". It was intended to fight other armoured fighting vehicles and serve alongside the infantry-supporting Panzer IV; however, as the Germans faced the formidable T-34, stronger anti-tank guns were needed. Since the Panzer IV had a bigger turret ring, the role was reversed. For the purposes of this match, the Panzer III will be an Ausf H. variant armed with a 50mm main gun and two MG-34 7.92mm machine guns. The tank had between five and 70mm of armor, with the most heavily armored areas being the turret and hull front. The tank had a 296 horsepower Maybach V12 diesel engine with a top speed of 40 kph/25 mph. Mark 2.5 Barrel (Morrel) The Mark 2.5 barrel (alternate tank) was a US barrel designed stopgap measure early in the Second Great War to counter the more heavily armed Confederate barrels during the early stages of Operation Blackbeard, the invasion of Ohio. The Mark 2.5 carried an improved turret with a 60mm main gun, which, while still inferior to the Confederate 75mm, stood a greater chance at destroying the heavier vehicles. Apart from this, the Mark 2.5 had the same hull as the Mark 2, which, from the descriptions, is similar to a real-world M3 Stuart, meaning it was likely comparable in armor and speed to the Stuart. The vehicle thus will have a top speed of 35 mph/58kph and 9.5-63mm. 119’s Edge The Panzer III may be slightly better armored, however, the Mark 2.5 is faster and a has a larger main gun. Even =X-Factors= Table Explanations In terms of tactics, both commanders made innovative use of new military technologies to make a breakthrough against their enemies, proving to be highly tactically proficient. In terms of Logistics, both of them are commanding the army of a wealthy and powerful nation, albeit one at war, however, I have to give a slight edge to Morrell simply due to the massive industrial capacity of the US as of the Second Great War. In terms of command experience, Zettour may be a bit older than Morrell, but Morrell commanded in two World Wars, while Zettour only did in one, giving him the advantage. In terms of technology, the alternate Germany of Youjo Senki seems to be more advanced in terms of tank development in comparison to its real-world counterpart, but Morrell still has some technologies that Zettour does not, like anti-tank rockets. =Scenario= The Battle will take place on a battlefield consisting gently rolling terrain of farmers fields, forests, and a few scattered small towns. The combatants will have three tanks and 30 infantry. Neither side will have any air support, so no mages for Zettour or Me-262 clones and/or "superbombs"/ atomic bombs for Morrell! =Battle= Morrell: 30 infantry, 3 tanks Zettour: 30 infantry, 3 tanks Note: tank crews not counted as individual personnel General Irving Morrell walked back to his staff car, having just finished an infantry platoon that had distinguished themselves in recent fighting. As he stood about 100 meters from the vehicle, the silence was broken by a thunderous roar. The staff car burst into a ball of flames in front of him. The explosion of the staff car was followed by the chattering of machine gun fire. Two US infantrymen were cut down by a hail of gunfire, as, at the same time, the commander of a Mark 2.5 barrel was shot in the head by a sniper. Seeing no better defended position, Morrell climbed up into the barrel. Ducking down into the vehicle, he spoke to the gunner, "Tell the driver to move out, we're pushing these bastards back!". "General?... Shouldn't you be making your way to the rear, Sir", the gunner asked, surprised to see the commander of the entire army corps having just entered his vehicle. "In an open place like this, there's no safer place than a inside a barrel. Now, you have your orders, Sergeant!" "Yes, Sir", the gunner replied, "Patterson, you heard the man, move out!" Morrell: 28 infantry, 3 tanks Zettour: 30 infantry, 3 tanks His mind going back to his time in the Barrel Works, where he commanded a prototype of this very same vehicle he know stood inside, Morrell spoke into the radio, "Platoon, hold position at sunken road. Keep your eyes peeled for hostile armor!" Morrell then switched to the intercom of the barrel, "Driver, get us into a hull down position on the sunken road, as close to the center of the infantry line as possible". As the barrel inched forward, just enough for the turret to be exposed over the top of the sunken road, Morrell peeked up from the top of the turret. Spotting a group of infantry coming out of the edge of a line of trees about 200 meters beyond the sunken road. Morell fired a burst from the machine gun on top of the turret. At least three of the attacking infantry collapsed, though there was no way of knowing if it was from round he fired or one of countless others fired by the barrels and infantry. About 70 meters away, one of the other two barrels of the armored platoon attached to the infantry fired a high explosive shell, blowing away the front a barn that held an enemy machine gun position covering the advance. Morrell: 28 infantry, 3 tanks Zettour: 26 infantry, 3 tanks At the next moment, Morrell spotted a black shape in the distance. Through his binoculars, he spotted the unmistakable outline of an enemy barrel break through the forest and begin advancing across the open field. "Barrel, 12 degrees left, load AP!", Morrell called out, the memories of his time testing barrels between the war coming flooding back. The loader on the barrel slammed a 60mm shell into the breech of the gun as the turret turned to face enemy vehicle. With a shout of "On the way!", the gunner pulled the trigger. The gun fired with thunderous roar and a flash of flame. About 200 meters away, the ballistic-capped round collided with the frontal armor of the enemy vehicle with enough force to punch through. The enemy barrel erupted in flames as the ammunition cooked off. Meanwhile, at the rear area, General Hans von Zettour sat in a command station, listening to the progress of the forward elements of the assault. "Encountering heavy fire!" the voice of the Lieutenant commanding an infantry platoon yelled, "We are pinned down!" A second later, a Panzer commander called out, "Hostile armor, vehicle destroyed! All remaining units are to focus fire on enemy tanks!" At that moment, both of the two Panzer IIIs of the Imperial army opened fire. One of the tanks scored a hit on the rightmost of the three Mark 2.5 Barrels, punching through the turret and setting fire to the vehicle. A couple second later, the tank exploded with enough force to throw the turret into the air. The second Panzer fired at Morrel's tank, but missed, the round throwing up a fountain of soil from the sunken road in front of the vehicle. All the while, infantry on both sides fell left and right as they were cut down by rifle and machine gun fire. Four men fell on Morrell's side, and six on the Imperial side. Back at the forward command post, General Hans von Zettour sighed, "So much for 'little resistance'", Morrell: 25 infantry, 2 tanks Zettour: 20 infantry, 2 tanks Having knocked out the Mark 2.5 barrel, the Panzer III on the right flank fired a HE shell at a machine gun nest, the blast killing the gunner and two additional troops. With the way cleared, Imperial army troops began to advance along the line of trees along the right side of the field. With most of the US troops occupied holding back the Imperial troops advancing from the left and center, the Imperials on the right flank made it within about ten meters of the US lines. Several stick grenades were lobbed into the lines. Most of them fell short, however one landed behind the earth berm that lined the sunken road. Two US troops fled from the imminent explosion, but one did not make it out in time and was killed in the blast. A second was struck in the chest by a stray rifle round as he got up in an attempt to flee the blast radius. Morrell: 20 infantry, 2 tanks Zettour: 20 infantry, 2 tanks Then the Panzer rolled forward, spitting fire at the troops in the sunken road with its co-axial machine gun. About five meters from the sunken road the US troops were using as a trench, the machine gun on the paused for a split second, probably changing a belt. It was at that moment that a US soldier armed with a captured Confederate "Stovepipe" rocket launcher raised above the edge of the sunken road and fired a single rocket. The shaped-charge warhead collided with the lower front plate of the tank, sending a jet of molten copper burning through the armor. The engine of the tank burst into flames. A second after the tank was knocked out, the US troops lobbed several stick grenades, practically identical to those used by the Imperials, which exploded in their midst, killing three of Imperial soldiers. The US troops on the right flank them got up and fired on the attacking Imperials. Two more of them were killed before they fled back into the woods. Morrell: 20 infantry, 2 tanks Zettour: 25 infantry, 1 tanks With the right flank in retreat, things weren't going much better for the Imperial Army on the left. The gun of a Mark 2.5 barrel roared to life yet again, its Imperial counterpart burst into a flash of fire as the armor-piercing round punched through the turret. Soon afterwards, two more Imperial infantry were shot down by machine gun fire as they fled from the burning tank, knowing full well that the ammunition could cook off at any moment. With the enemy barrel neutralized, Morrell ordered the gunner on his vehicle to load HE and fire on a group of retreating Imperial stragglers. One of the Imperial soldiers, who had a large set of tanks on his back, exploded into a ball of fire. The charred, mangled bodies of three Imperials were thrown through the air by the blast. "Must have had a flamethrower", Morrell thought, "Hell of a way to die". For a moment, Morrell remembered stories from the First Great War about some crazy crazy flamethrower operator who torched a Confederate barrel, wondering what happened to him. Morrell: 20 infantry, 2 tanks Zettour: 10 infantry, 0 tanks With the enemy in full retreat, Morrell did not show them any quarter. He ordered the the troops to fire everything they had at the retreating Imperials. Morrell himself fired a few bursts at the fleeing enemy from the machine gun mounted on top of the barrel. Three more unfortunate Imperials were hit by stray bullets before the rest made it to the woods and out of sight. As if to punctuate their defeat, one of the burning Imperial panzers chose that moment to explode in a flash of fire, the flames having reached the ammunition. Morrell: 20 infantry, 2 tanks Zettour: 7 infantry, 0 tanks A few minutes later, it was clear that the assault had been repulsed. Morrell exited the barrel, making his way to the rear, where the radio position was. He needed a new staff car... and a new staff officer, for that matter, not the mention the reinforcements needed to hold the line against the second enemy attack that was sure to come. WINNER: Irving Morrell Expert's Opinion Morrell won this clash of the alternate generals thank in large part to the slightly superior technology, including the heavier gun on his "barrels" and the "Stovepipe" rocket launcher. Morrell also had more experience than Zettour, having fought in two World Wars. To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here Category:Blog posts